ODAC Board of
Directors Meeting
May 24-26 –
Attendance:
Jean Willi
Eastern
Mennonite
Larry Martin
Emory
& Henry
Bev Hatch
Stephanie Flamini
Hampden-Sydney
Joe Bush
Hollins
Lynda Calkins
Carleen Overacker
Randolph-Macon
Denis Kanach
Jeff Burns
Dr. Roger Martin, Presidents Representative
R-M
Woman’s College
Val Cushman, President
Chrissy Pearson
Heather Somers
Sweet
Briar
Kelly Morrison
Virginia
Wesleyan
Sonny Travis
Joanne Renn
Washington
and Lee
Mike Walsh
Cinda Rankin
Melissa Miranda
ODAC
Office
Brad Bankston, Commissioner
Noted
Absence:
Monday,
May 24
The
meeting was called to order at 1:10 pm by Board president Dr. Valerie Cushman
The
Minutes from the December meeting were moved and approved unanimously.
Ms.
Cushman requested that the group reorder agenda item #7 moving it prior to #5
(Commissioner’s Evaluation). Additional items for the agenda were not put
forward. The agenda was approved for the meeting.
Jeff
Burns went over the meeting timeline for the week. Plans for dinner on both
nights were made. Additional activities during the Tuesday afternoon open
session were reviewed.
The
first item of business was a discussion of the conference office personnel
including their annual reviews. Specific information on each review can be found
in the written review submitted to each member of the Board.
The
group discussed the open position of Sports Information Director following the
sudden resignation of Stacy Dyne the previous week. Commissioner Bankston
reviewed Stacy’s employment and her contributions to the conference during her
time as SID and noted issues concerning the position and salary. The Board asked
that the Executive Committee work to create an accurate job description and
salary range and report back to the Board on the last day of the meeting
(Wednesday). Ms. Cushman agreed to take that on and report back with
suggestions.
The
approved list of duties for the incoming SID can be found below (Wednesday
action item):
q
Keep
minutes and distribute records of conference meetings
q
Publish
directory
q
Maintain
Conference website and listserves
q
Serve
as public relations director for Conference events (publicize and report)
q
Serve
as assistant media liaison for NCAA Championships co-hosted with City of
q
Attend
all press days
q
Responsible
for awards selection process
q
Travel/attend
conference meetings
q
Participate
in professional development opportunities
Commissioner
Bankston praised the group for running quality tournaments during the 2003-04
academic year. He noted that he believed this to be one of the best years ever
in terms of championship hosting, etc.
He
reviewed the conference office operations and the recent changes to the
conference business administration. Noting changes to the budget tracking
system, Mr. Bankston believes the final reporting process for fiscal 03-04
should be much more simple than in years past. Mary Jane Esperti was recognized
for her assistance in making the switch in the office and working through the
changes associated with moving to a new and entirely different system.
The
national championships hosted with the City of
The
financial status of the office was discussed with fiscal year 2003-04
approaching year-end. The final arrangements with the baseball, basketball and
softball tournaments were mentioned, while the need for a new contract for the
basketball tournament was brought forward. Mr. Bankston plans to discuss the new
basketball tournament contract with the Rotary Club of Salem and will report
back to the Board prior to the start of the 04-05 academic year.
The
subject of information sharing was reviewed. Commissioner Bankston informed the
group he plans to distribute a staffing model to the members prior to August 1,
2004 in an effort to distribute the results on September 1. The selected model
was discussed in December at the Board meeting and will be used this coming
year. Additional concerns about sharing salaries were brought forward with
others in the group seeing the worth in exchanging some numbers for
benchmarking. Several academic studies that currently compile this information
for administrative positions were mentioned, but the board did not endorse the
exchange of budget or salary figures at this time.
The
NCAA conference technology and SAAC grants were discussed. Several members of
the Board suggested that schools have the right to send their entire SAAC in the
event the league is able to secure a speaker for the 2004 November ODAC SAAC
meeting. Commissioner Bankston agreed to begin working on this and will inform
the schools of the meeting date well in advance.
Commissioner Bankston
mentioned a recent problem with University Sports Publications (USP) and
explained to the group the purpose of USP. The methods used by USP can be
controlled by the Board and he encouraged everyone in the room to submit a
no-call list for the ad solicitors in the Fall. The contract is on an annual
renewal basis, unless the Conference decides it would like a long-term deal. The
subject will be discussed at the Presidents’ Council meeting in September
prior to a final decision being made to extend the contract in 2004-05.
Additional
concern over officials fees were brought forward. The softball, volleyball and
baseball supervisors have contacted the conference office in the weeks leading
up to the meeting requesting additional changes to the fees in their sports.
They all cite competing leagues paying more per game. A list of the concerns
will be passed on to the ADs this summer with any additional fee changes
approved or denied through the standard voting process.
In
conclusion, Commissioner Bankston thanked the Board for the opportunity to serve
as the Commissioner of the Conference.
Presidential
Report (Dr. Roger Martin, RMC)
Combination
travel and league scheduling were the first topics discussed by Dr. Martin in
his remarks. Val Cushman requested a show of hands to know who was planning to
use the schedule created last summer that will enable people to travel together
to some conference contests. Eight schools in the group indicated a desire to
use the service on a limited basis. The Board agreed to review this system
following the Fall/Winter 04-05 seasons to see if it will continue into the
future.
The
Mellon Foundation and its continued focus on Division III reform was mentioned.
Dr. Martin indicated that several of the schools in the league have been
contacted to maintain discussion on the two keys areas of Mellon’s review: 1.
GPAs of Student-Athletes vs. Students and the idea of bringing athletics more
into the core of campus practices – integrating it into the inner workings of
the campus community. Both seem worthwhile in the interim and Dr. Martin agreed
to make sure the Board was kept abreast of any additional changes in the
landscape following continued discussions this Summer and Fall.
The
current issue of spring championship dates/academic conflicts was next on the
agenda. Dr. Martin stated the presidents’ position on the issue and recounted
a discussion that took place in the September 2003 presidents’ meeting in
which a majority of those presidents in attendance favored avoiding academic
conflicts when scheduling spring championships. The group discussed the pros and
cons of such a policy and were reminded that the presidents had distributed a
position endorsed prior to the meeting. Members questioned whether this has been
a past problem or something we simply did not track. Baseball and Men’s
Lacrosse are the two sports potentially affected in 2005 but overall the Board
recognized this was a global problem for the entire group – something that
could easily affect other spring sports in a given year. Men’s lacrosse, given
the format in 2004, could maintain the corresponding week while baseball might
have to look for additional dates or a format change.
The
need for a joint meeting between the presidents and athletics directors was
proposed. The initial plans for such a
meeting were discussed at the Conference long-range planning meeting in late
March. Continued discussion indicated a tentative timeline/date of late
September in conjunction with the CICV meeting being held at Emory & Henry.
Additional information on the meeting will be forwarded to the group in June.
Following
the Presidents’ Report, Commissioner Bankston was asked to leave the room for
his annual evaluation.
The Board received an update
on the evaluation process for the Commissioner. Last December the Board
agreed to a request from the presidents that the Commissioner receive an
"official" evaluation in May of each year. This evaluation was
intended to provide the Commissioner with feedback and to provide the presidents
with information upon which they could make salary decisions. As a result,
Brad was asked to submit a self-assessment based on his goals for the year and
the ADs and presidents were given an opportunity to submit feedback for
inclusion in an evaluation letter. It was noted that in the future, the
executive committee would like to receive feedback from all ADs.
The evaluation comments
submitted by the ADs and presidents were summarized in a letter that was
submitted to the Board for approval. The Board approved the letter and
suggested that in the future, the Commissioner's goals and the status of each
should be submitted to the presidents along with the letter.
Further discussion ensued
regarding the salary of the Commissioner. A motion regarding salary was moved
and seconded (in the action items), that was later approved. A
second motion charged the budget committee with investigating leasing a car in
lieu of paying mileage. The motion was later approved.
Proposed Statement to the
Presidents in reference to the commissioner’s salary:
** Charge budget committee with developing an adjustment plan with a 1-3 year implementation process to be presented to the Presidents that will move the Commissioner’s salary to within 90%-100% of the national average for Conference commissioners (approved).
ODAC President, Curt
Kendall, shall submit the evaluation letter, Commissioner goals and suggested
salary timetable to the presidents for consideration at their meeting in
September.
Standings
Committee Reports:
Awards
(Larry Martin, EMU)
For
the first time in recent history, the conference awards committee met in early
May. The group reviewed the entire conference awards list and made the following
proposals to the group. Discussion and comments on each follows each proposal:
b.
Award a certificate to members of the conference championship team. The Board
approved the conference looking into such an award. Commissioner Bankston will
investigate the cost and report back prior to the start of the academic year.
c.
The committee suggested that all sports in the conference establish criteria
and award a Rookie or Freshman of the Year award. The Board agreed and asked
Commissioner Bankston to relay the message to the necessary chairs.
d.
The committee proposed a standardization of the conference’s honorable mention
policy. The group proposed and the Board approved the following:
The
number of honorable mention members cannot exceed the number of players on the
sport’s first team. The coach from
any school not having a member of the first or second team may name a player
from their team as honorable mention with the remaining honorable mention slots
selected by the sports committee.
e. A conference-wide
sportsmanship award was mentioned and offered to the Board as a source of
discussion. The Board encouraged continued study of this and looked to the
committee to come to the December Board meeting with a proposal to establish
such and award.
f. The possibility of
creating a partnership with Jostens, Inc., and the conference was delayed until
Wednesday morning when reps from Jostens would present the idea to the group.
Calendar and Site (Jeff
Burns, RMC)
Jeff Burns announced that Eastern Mennonite would host
the 2004 Conference Fall Board of Directors Meeting on December 6-7
(Monday/Tuesday). The spring meeting site for 2005 was mentioned – Mr. Burns
proposed working with Wintergreen for the 2005 meeting and reviewed some meeting
figures. The overall consensus of the Board was to return to
Championship and Games
(Mike Walsh, W&L)
The committee had three
items on the agenda for the Spring meeting. The first was to draw new lots for
the 2004-05 seasons. This was done in conjunction with dinner on Tuesday night
– the results of the draw can be found below.
2004-05 Tiebreaker Lots
School
BB MBKB
WBKB FB
FHOC MLAX
WLAX MSOC
WSOC SB
VB
Catholic
x
x
x
5
x
x
x
x
x
x x
Eastern Mennonite
2
2
11
x
8
x
x
1
10
1 8
Emory & Henry
7
4
2
1
x
x
x
7
12
6 2
Hampden-Sydney
1
9
x
7
x
4
x
10
x
x
x
Hollins
x
x
1
x
2
x
4
x
5
x 12
Randolph-Macon
10
1
10
2
9
1
6
4
7
8 11
R-M Woman’s
x
x
4
x
5
x
x
x
1
5 10
Sweet Briar
x
x
x
x
6
x
7
x
6
x 1
Washington
and Lee 8
8
3
3
1
2
3
2
4
x
3
The second item was a discussion on the championship date formula for 2005 and beyond. Much of this conversation took place in the presidents’ report with additional opportunity under new business on Wednesday. The committee informed the Board that it had researched other leagues in the country to inquire how they scheduled championships. Over half of the leagues surveyed did not make concessions for member exam or commencements.
The final item was a
discussion on the conference tie-breaker and the process of determining home
sites in games involving teams who were in a three-way tie during the year. Over
the past two years the Conference lacrosse tournament has had a three-way tie
for second place. In both occasions, because of the drawn lots, a team has had
to travel to play an opponent away from home in the first round and/or
championship despite having defeated them in the regular season. The
committee proposed that in these incidents, head-to-head competition should take
precedence. Additional language will be added to the tie-breaking procedure
found in the Conference manual.
Ms.
Cushman called the meeting to order at 8:35am and introduced Mira Colman and
Bridget Belgiovine from the NCAA Office. Both had made the trip from
Ms.
Colman presented first. Her presentation included information on the recently
passed legislation at the 2004 Convention in
Ms.
Belgiovine followed with a discussion on the future of Division III, the
Division strategic planning process, the Division III budget and grant programs.
A large portion of her presentation covered the next steps in Phase II of
Division III reform. The initial step in the process was to contact conferences
through virtual focus groups. The ODAC focus group contains the following
individuals covering various positions in the conference structure: Dr. Walter
Bortz (HSC, President), Jim Bolling (FAR,
The
meeting resumed following the presentations with the remaining standing
committee reports.
Membership
(Lynda Calkins, HU)
Ms.
Calkins presented the report which included a description of correspondence
received from
In
addition, the committee also had a request from
Scheduling
(Joe Bush, HSC)
Joe
Bush reviewed the report which included a listing of all the sports currently
being scheduled within the framework of the Conference Scheduling Committee. The
list was recently updated and information on all the sports can be found below.
Baseball:
Drawn for 2005 (switch 2004 sites) Tournament dates TBA
Need to create 2006-2007 schedule.
Men’s
Basketball:
2005-2005 and 2005-2006
schedules completed with limited combined travel
Women’s
Basketball:
2005-2005 and 2005-2006
schedules completed with limited combined travel
Golf:
Created master list of approved ODAC golf tournaments for 2005 season ~
Needs Board approval
Field
Hockey:
Schedule set for 2004 ~ Need to work on 2005 schedule
Football:
Progress has been made to move conference games late in the season (final
7 weeks of schedule) only 1-2 games need to be moved
Men’s
Lacrosse:
New schedule for 2005 has been created (Tournament dates TBA)
Need new 2006-2007 schedules
Women’s
Lacrosse: New
schedule for 2005 has been drawn
Need 2006-2007 schedules
Men’s
Soccer:
2004 has been set with some limited combined travel
Need to redraw for 2005
Women’s
Soccer:
2004 has been set with some limited combined travel
Need to redraw for 2005
Softball:
2005 has been set ~ Need to create 2006 to include Sweet Briar
Swimming:
2004 matrix has been created including
Men’s
Tennis:
2005 scheduling is almost complete. Seven matches are required to be
scheduled. Need to include
Women’s
Tennis:
Rotation for 2005 has been established.
Volleyball:
2004 schedule is set ~ Need to create 2005 schedule without Hollins.
The
committee encouraged each school to submit schedules to the Conference office
well in advance. Schools are encouraged to provide at least two-three year
tentative calendars for Conference planning purposes.
Beverly
Hatch (E&H) brought forward an item for discussion on Conference scheduling.
She was relaying concerns from her basketball coaches concerning the Conference
master schedule and the lack of input from both the women’s and men’s
coaching committees. Mr. Bush reviewed the process with the schedules and how
they were originally created. He encouraged the coaching committees to relay
concerns to the Scheduling Committee and work within the Committee to create a
list of parameters the coaches would like to see in the schedule. It was the
consensus of the Board that the creation of the schedule is the responsibility
of the scheduling committee with input from the sport committees. Ms. Hatch
agreed to communicate this information to her coaches while Commissioner
Bankston will discuss it with both committees at their Fall 2004 meetings.
Sport
Committee Reports
Information
contained under each sport committee report pertains directly to the
recommendations put forward by each group. Additional discussion on specific
sport-committee related material can be found below each group of
recommendations.
Equestrian (Lynda
Calkins, HU)
The
equestrian report was distributed and discussed. Ms. Calkins called the
Board’s attention to two details. One – the reduction in the fee for the
championship ($400 to $300) and the fact that the sport committee had not come
up with a date for the 2005 championship. There is a proposal on the table to
all the coaches for March 25, 2005 – but the date conflicts with a break on
the host’s campus. Additional discussions on the championship date will be
completed this summer prior to the start of the year.
Golf
(Jeff Burns, RMC)
Mr.
Burns presented the report calling the Board’s attention to two key details.
One the need for the tournament to have a set rotating host and the proposed
list of approved ODAC Tournaments for the coming year.
1. The following tournaments are considered endorsed ODAC tournaments (approved):
Ted
Keller (RMC)
Tom
O’Briant (Guilford)
Greensboro
VA
State Intercollegiate (VSGA)
Pine
Needles (Pfeiffer)
Smith
Mountain Invitational (Ferrum)
Shipbuilder’s
(NNAS)
Buck
Leslie (W&L)
2. Tournament Administrative
Personnel and Duties (approved)
a.
The Tournament Committee will
consist of three ODAC coaches serving on a rotating basis in the following order
(two plus host coach each year): Emory and Henry and Randolph-Macon (2004),
Lynchburg and Roanoke (2005), Hampden-Sydney and Washington and Lee (2006), and
Bridgewater and Virginia Wesleyan (2007). The
Tournament Committee will oversee and run the tournament with the help of the
other ODAC coaches who will be assigned duties and responsibilities.
NEW
VERSION (Replace the Old Version
entirely.)
a.
The Tournament Committee is responsible for making any rulings or
decisions concerning play. The
Tournament Committee will consist of three coaches serving on a rotating basis
in the following order: Guilford,
Randolph-Macon, Washington & Lee (2005);
Bridgewater, Hampden-Sydney, Roanoke (2006);
Emory & Henry, Lynchburg, Virginia Wesleyan (2007).
b.
One school each year will be designated as the Tournament Host.
The Host will organize and run the tournament with the help of the other
ODAC coaches, and will have final responsibility for ensuring that the
tournament is run smoothly. The host
school will rotate as follows: Randolph-Macon
(2005), Roanoke (2006), Virginia Wesleyan (2007), Washington & Lee (2008),
Bridgewater (2009), Emory & Henry (2010), Guilford (2011), Hampden-Sydney
(2012), Lynchburg (2013).
In addition, the golf committee would like to see the Conference tournament move to 54 holes in the future – especially with the onset of automatic qualifiers beginning in 2007. The fear of an 18-hole champion (due to weather conditions) advancing to the NCAA Championship is something the golf committee is extremely concerned about advancing the best team the Conference has to offer. Opportunity for additional discussion about the tournament format will be available at the Conference meeting in 2005.
Men’s
Lacrosse (Mike Walsh, W&L/Brad Bankston, ODAC)
The
lacrosse coaches had two proposals for the Board. The first included limiting
film exchange outside of Conference. This brought spirited debate on the merits
of limiting film exchange while still allowing personal scouting reports, etc.,
to be passed to the group through conversations. Often times, the schools
involved in the exchange of information are the same schools that we are working
against when it comes time for an at-large berth into the national championship
tournament.
1.
There will be no film exchanges on conference teams with out-of-conference teams
for the 2005 season (approved)
**In addition, a
recommendation from the floor called for the Conference Championships and Games
Committee to review this situation in all areas of conference play, not just
men’s lacrosse, to determine whether we should have a league policy on this
subject. (seconded – approved)
2. O.D.A.C. Tournament
regulations were then discussed. The
following regulations for the 2005 tournament were recommended:
The
semi-finals will be played on Wednesday April 27 (possibly Tuesday, April 26
– depending on exam schedules) on the campuses of the higher seeds.
Game time at both sites will be 3:30 PM (or 4:00pm open to
participating teams to adjust).
Each home site will
be responsible to adhere to ODAC Championship checklist (Appendix EE).
The
ODAC will forward a release with the pairings by Sunday April 24.
The
championship will be played on Saturday April 30 (possible Sunday, May 1 –
depending on exam schedules) with the possibility to move to Sunday May 1 in
case of graduation conflicts. Game
time will be 2:00 PM, and will be played at the site of the highest remaining
seed.
There
will be a pre-championship meeting as outlined above/Conference Call format.
The
championship host will make the meeting agenda available prior to the meeting
via email, fax, etc.
The championship host will be responsible to adhering to
ODAC championship checklist.
(approved – with noted changes in bold)
In discussing these
recommendations for the tournament, the Board noted the intention of the
Committee to make our championship more in-line with the national procedures for
NCAA play. Recognizing that was the intent, the Board suggested that the coaches
group not have an in-person meeting but deal with pre-tournament game issues via
conference call. They
also noted that the dates mentioned in the recommendation may have to be
adjusted to meet the Conference policy of scheduling Spring championships in a
manner that impacts the fewest schools possible. Additional discussion on the lacrosse and baseball dates were scheduled
for new business.
Women’s Lacrosse (Denis
Kanach, RMC)
A.
Motion – to amend II.C. 1-4 and
seed the tournament from 1-6, with the #1 and #2 seeds receiving a first round
bye. (approved)
B.
Motion – to amend G.5 for the
tournament committee meeting to be held via conference call on Thursday, after
the Quarterfinals, with a time TBD by the host institution (approved).
C.
Motion – to vote on the
recommendation of the officials’ fee structure for non-varsity games to be 60%
of existing flat fee for varsity games (approved).
D.
Motion –that each school will pay
up to $100.00 to cover the expenses for one member of the Blue Ridge board and
one member of the Central Virginia board of officials to attend the USLacrosse (denied
– see below).
E.
Motion - to use the existing
matrix, with a sliding scale of one over and one down, starting the last weekend
in April prior to the ODAC tournament and working back towards the beginning of
the season. (approved)
F.
Motion - to adopt the men’s
voting guidelines for All-ODAC Selections with the 1st team and 2nd team
consisting of 3 Attackers, 5 Midfielders, 3 Defenders, and 1 Goalie. The 2nd
team will be named using the remaining top votegetters who were not on the 1st
team. (approved)
G.
Motion - to amend the original
motion made by Reid regarding the schedule so that the matrix slides every 2
years beginning in 2006 (approved).
H.
Motion - to have the matrix and
calendar completed and sent to every Conference coach prior to the ODAC play-day
during the current season (approved).
The Board discussed the committee’s suggestion to support Conference officials by paying for one representative from each association to attend the rules clinic in Atlanta. In an effort to continue professional development the Board suggested continued recruitment of officials and an increased emphasis to work with both Boards in the state. Commissioner Bankston should work with ODAC supervisor Dee McDonough to establish the necessary professional development requirements we need to improve or officials in both field hockey and lacrosse.
Lynda Calkins suggested the
use of NCAA grant money to develop a program to find, train and develop field
hockey and women’s lacrosse officials in Virginia. Past programs in other
states have encouraged those not previously interested to join their
association.
Overall, the Board is
disappointed in the numbers and physical condition of some officials in the
league – including all sports.
Softball (Scott Allison,
RC)
A.
The committee recommends that the
ODAC Tournament be moved from the Moyer Complex to a different site by the
2005-2006 season, unless Roanoke College chooses to no longer play its home
games at the Moyer Complex (denied – see below).
B.
Approve in principle the desire of
the committee to extend the conference ball contract with Diamond Sporting Goods
(approved).
The Board requested that Commissioner Bankston continue to look for alternative facilities for the conference softball championship, but did not take the step to approve the coaches’ recommendation, moving the tournament from the Moyer Sports Complex in the immediate future. Members commented that we need to explore other options. The fact someone plays on that field is not necessarily the right reason to leave a venue in which we have developed a positive relationship. Additional discussions with Conference members should provide the Conference office the necessary information to make contacts about available facilities. Once a study is complete, the Board, in conjunction with the softball sports committee, will review the options and make a final decision on the site of the Conference softball tournament in the future.
Sports
Information Directors (Carleen Overacker, HU)
The Board agreed to work
with the Sports Information Directors to support their request for additional
software from the Conference technology grant. Commissioner Bankston will review
the available products in late Summer, making a recommendation to the conference
sports information directors and allocating funds accordingly. In addition, the
conference will make a commitment to correct the problems in the tennis
championship Excel file and create versions for use in the women and men’s
championships if so desired.
The conference SID of the
year was approved. The Board asks that the committee create criteria for the
selection and forward that information to the Commissioner for review prior to
the Fall ODAC Board meeting in early December, 2004.
There was extensive discussion about approving an award not supported
financially by the Conference. Overall, a majority of the Board believed this
should be a Conference award and realized the intention of the group looking to
receive the endorsement of the Board for their own recognition opportunity.
Swimming
(Lynda Calkins, HU)
1.
Change in the conference
guidelines:
Each
member school must make an attempt to meet each other at least once during the
season. The proposed swim scheduling
matrix will cover five weeks beginning the last Saturday in October 7
WEEKS TOTAL. WEEKS 1-5 ARE
CONSECUTIVE, WITH WEEK 1 ENDING ON THE FOURTH SATURDAY IN OCTOBER, AND WEEK 6
ENDING ON THE FOURTH SATURDAY IN JANUARY. WEEK
7 MEETS WILL BE FLEX-SCHEDULED. If
coaches are in agreement, any dual meet format can be used.
If coaches are not in agreement, the 16-event program will be used.
Those institutions that choose to schedule home-away in one academic
year, only the first contest will count toward league scheduling (approved
– see below).
There was one formal
recommendation included in the swimming report. Ms. Calkins called the Board’s
attention to the swimming matrix and the next steps for the conference. The
starting date of the current matrix is early in October and this is a concern of
some coaches. She mentioned that the coaches continue to support the
championship being held in conjunction with the Atlantic States Championship in
Radford. The coaches discussed additional revenue opportunities to offset the
increasing costs of the championship. Charging admission, selling heat sheets
and t-shirt sales were mentioned as potential revenue opportunities.
Men’s
Tennis (Joe Bush, HSC)
The Board engaged in
extensive discussion of recommendation #4 calling for additional penalties for
stacking in the league. Kelly Morrison (SBC) asked whether the men’s tennis
guidelines call for the committee to follow ITA/USTA rules and regulations. The
rules mentioned cover the policy and procedures for handling in-season stacking
allegations. The sports committee was encouraged to reference the rules in
their guidelines and follow the procedure as written. In addition, the committee
was instructed to contact the chair of the committee referencing any potential
stacking situation – with the chair then contacting Commissioner Bankston
should the allegation prove true. Commissioner Bankston would then contact the
appropriate director of athletics informing him/her of the problem.
The attire for tennis
players in the league was also discussed. The coaches had addressed it at the
meeting. Knowing the position of the coaches, the Board supported a policy to
outfit tennis squads (men and women) in school issued uniforms. Players playing
in conference matches along with tournament participation should be in proper
uniform which complies with the ITA rules. Additional correspondence will be
forwarded to the committee prior to the beginning of play in 2004-05.
Track
and Field (Curt Kendall, BC)
Concerns over the
availability of indoor facilities were expressed when discussing the 2005 Indoor
Championships. Commissioner Bankston agreed to work with the committee to
determine additional indoor facilities in which the schools might compete.
Information on the search will be forwarded to the Board when available later
this summer.
The addition of the hammer
throw in the outdoor championships was referred to the December meeting.
Numerous ADs did not have enough information on the costs associated with this
addition to the field events. Prices for hammer cages were offered but the
committee wanted to gather additional information prior to making a final
decision. The addition of the event will cause numerous changes to facilities in
the league – having to make changes (facility additions) to be able to host
the conference championship. Commissioner Bankston agreed to contact Jack Toms
(LC) and follow up on the meeting. (Dr. Toms was not able to make the meeting
due to an injury).
Wednesday, May 26
Old
Business
Jostens
Presentation
Mike Callison and Lee
Beekman were introduced to the Board. Mike and Lee are employees of Jostens,
Inc. They presented Jostens interest in becoming a partner with conference
schools specifically in the championship ring business. Several schools in the
league currently use Jostens to supply championship rings, but not all members
of the Conference have a similar relationship. Jostens is offering to sponsor
the Commissioner Cups – by providing traveling trophies for all three awards
in the league. The Board expressed thanks for their offer and agreed to discuss
the proposal later in the meeting.
Long-Range
Planning
Mike Walsh, chair of the
Long-Range Planning Committee, reviewed a PowerPoint with the Board – covering
the steps the committee has taken since the 2003 spring meeting. The committee
has met twice during that time and solicited feedback from the Conference
Members on numerous issues including a review of the Conference purpose and
values statement. Comments from the membership were reviewed under each
Conference value. Additional comments from the committee were included. Mr.
Walsh offered for those interested to participate in the process. The committee
is planning an additional meeting in the late summer to prepare for the proposed
joint meeting with the Presidents in September.
Sportsmanship
Committee (Joanne Renn, VWC and Curt Kendall, BC)
Joanne and Curt reviewed the
steps taken by the committee in the last year. Discussions on the Conference
game management policies revealed concern by members of the Board surrounding
additional staffing, workloads, etc. Board members questioned whether Game
Managers should be required to attend some individual sport contests. The
committee agreed to review the concern and will report back to the Board in
December. In addition, Board members agreed to require Gameday Managers to
introduce themselves to the visiting coach and officials prior to each contest.
Successful projects to promote positive sportsmanship were offered and
additional feedback was encouraged.
** Lynda Calkins made a
motion to have the committee study the current games management requirements
following a year under the new policy. The Committee was asked to report back to
the Board in December. (approved)
** The committee was also
asked to review the conference sportsmanship statement and return to the Board
with a quality revision for a 2004 December presentation.
(approved)
Championship
and Games (Mike Walsh, W&L)
The committee had several
items for the agenda including:
1. Charging for Conference Championships
2. Hosting at Predetermined Sites
1. Charging for
championships has been allowed by the Board for years. The group discussed the
advantages of charging for Conference events. The 2004 Volleyball Championship
was the first sanctioned championship to charge at a rotating site. The
tournament generated a good bit of revenue which allowed the
tournament-participant entry fee to be reduced substantially from the year
before. Concerns over pass lists, facility costs, advantage to the host school,
etc., were discussed.
For the 2004-05 year, the
Board agreed to allow schools to charge at any championship event – after
gaining approval for ticket prices with the conference office. The host may keep
the revenue from the event but must provide the conference office with a
detailed accounting of the revenue and its use on campus. In the event of
tournaments rotating with a shared expense – revenues would be applied to the
common cost of the championship (approved).
The committee will ask
Commissioner Bankston to discuss charging for championships among other
conference commissioners and report back prior to making a conference-wide
decision for 2005-06.
2. The idea of hosting at a
predetermined site was supported by the Board. The committee will go back to
each sport committee and request suggestions for championship sites. The
suggestion of sites does not automatically commit the conference to hosting away
from campus. It will simply allow Commissioner Bankston and the committee to
explore sport-by-sport possibilities. Several members supported the idea and
encouraged the conference to look outside of Roanoke/Salem area for
possibilities.
Bus
Proposals
Copies of the bus proposals received from several charter companies were distributed to each AD at the meeting. Ms. Cushman reminded the group about the plan to ask charter companies in the state to bid on conference-wide transportation. Initial review of the submitted bids indicates that the plans will not successfully reduce th